Group 6 conducted bacterial testing at Marsh Creek site 6. Site 6 is located from the mouth of the creek as it flows into the Chattahoochee River to 460 feet upstream. There were a total of 3 samples collected from this site. All of our water samples were collected in relatively the same location, which was just downstream of the sewage pipe that crosses-over the steam. Once collected in a whirl pak, the samples were placed in a cooler to be taken to the lab to plate the samples. In a controlled environment, the samples were pipetted onto 3 separate plates with one control plate of distilled water. For this site, we collected samples on three different occasions for a total of nine plates and three controls and incubated on three separate occasions.
Samples
The first sample collected was on June 14, 2012. This was a day after a heavy rainfall. The water level was higher than normal and the water was very turbid. The results from this day’s samples gave us readings on or plates that were too numerous to count (TNTC).
The second sample collected was on June 21, 2012. The water was still a little turbid but not as bad as on June 14th and the water level was down slightly from the week before. This day’s samples gave us a reading of 533.33 cfu/100mL of E.coli, much lower than the first day’s sample.
The third and final sample collected was on June 28, 2012. The water on this day was still a little turbid and there had been no rain since the day before the first sample. The results from this day’s sample were 666.67 cfu/100mL of E. coli. This reading was a little higher than the second sample but still much lower than the first day. June 14, 2012
June 21, 2012
June 28, 2012
Results
The results we analyzed showed that after a heavy rainfall the numbers of E. coli in the steam was TNTC, but it lowered drastically a week after the rainfall. We concluded that it was a combination of the sewage pipe over the stream with a possible leak and the polluted runoff caused by the surrounding urban area as the cause of the spike in the E. coli counts.
MARSH CREEK SITE 6
BACTERIAL
Procedure
Group 6 conducted bacterial testing at Marsh Creek site 6. Site 6 is located from the mouth of the creek as it flows into the Chattahoochee River to 460 feet upstream. There were a total of 3 samples collected from this site. All of our water samples were collected in relatively the same location, which was just downstream of the sewage pipe that crosses-over the steam. Once collected in a whirl pak, the samples were placed in a cooler to be taken to the lab to plate the samples. In a controlled environment, the samples were pipetted onto 3 separate plates with one control plate of distilled water. For this site, we collected samples on three different occasions for a total of nine plates and three controls and incubated on three separate occasions.Samples
The first sample collected was on June 14, 2012. This was a day after a heavy rainfall. The water level was higher than normal and the water was very turbid. The results from this day’s samples gave us readings on or plates that were too numerous to count (TNTC).The second sample collected was on June 21, 2012. The water was still a little turbid but not as bad as on June 14th and the water level was down slightly from the week before. This day’s samples gave us a reading of 533.33 cfu/100mL of E.coli, much lower than the first day’s sample.
The third and final sample collected was on June 28, 2012. The water on this day was still a little turbid and there had been no rain since the day before the first sample. The results from this day’s sample were 666.67 cfu/100mL of E. coli. This reading was a little higher than the second sample but still much lower than the first day.
June 14, 2012
June 21, 2012
Results
The results we analyzed showed that after a heavy rainfall the numbers of E. coli in the steam was TNTC, but it lowered drastically a week after the rainfall. We concluded that it was a combination of the sewage pipe over the stream with a possible leak and the polluted runoff caused by the surrounding urban area as the cause of the spike in the E. coli counts.Main Page | Overview | Map | Stream | Water | Bacterial | Urban Ecology | Conclusion | Site